Chapter Twenty-Four
Jake
Driving back into the city in my pickup, I switch my phone back on. A few moments later it’s ringing, as Lemon’s name appears on screen. I don’t answer.
After five back-to-back missed calls, I pull over on the side of the road and call her back.
‘Lemon, I’m behind the wheel,’ I say, with her on speaker. ‘What’s the emergency?’
‘I need you to break up with me!’ she wails at the other end of the line.
The way she says it, it’s like we’re involved in a passionate relationship, when in reality, all I did was take her out to lunch.
‘Lemon, we’re not together. I thought we both knew that.’
‘I know!’ she howls back, and her quivering cries fill the cab. ‘But the whole of Canyon thinks you and I are dating!’
Okay, so that’s true, but that’s exactly how Sam Conway wanted it.
‘Look, I’m more than happy to break things off. But you gotta talk to your mom. Tell her you’re not into me.’
‘She won’t s-stand for it,’ Lemon sobs. ‘But my real girlfriend just d-dumped me! I don’t know what else to do!’
I stare through the windshield at the traffic racing by on the highway. ‘Did you just say girlfriend?’
‘Yes!’ Lemon exclaims. ‘Except since you and I got into the news, she’s been avoiding me. And now she says she can’t see me anymore!’
I swear this is the most fucked-up situation I have ever been in.
‘Lemon, why didn’t you tell me you were gay?’
‘Because nobody knows that yet!’ she wails again.
‘You did tell her, right? That it was your mom who ordered me to take you out? That there’s literally nothing between us?’
‘I told her, but she says a guy like you must have a ton of girls, except she’s never seen you with anyone else, so either you’re gay and you haven’t come out yet, or you’re fucking my brains out in secret!’
Her words are followed by yet more howling. How is it she and Samantha Conway are related?
I blink. ‘Hold up a sec,’ I say. ‘Who’s your girlfriend?’
‘Well, it was Carlie Kessler, until she broke up with me!’
‘DJ Stash?’
‘Yes!’ she yowls. ‘But Momma doesn’t know that yet!’
‘Oh, Jesus,’ I say, more to myself, rubbing my eyes. I have bigger things to worry about right now than Lemon’s dating dramas or her interfering mother.
‘Can you please call her?’ Lemon asks in a shrill tone.
‘Who? Carlie? What? No. Lemon. I can’t get involved. This is between you and your mom. And Carlie. I can’t help it if your mom doesn’t know you’re into same sex relationships.’
‘Momma thinks that I need to be with a guy… like you. You know… handsome, successful… athletic… a golden boy. Me bein’ gay is not exactly in her playbook.’
I growl at the use of her term ‘golden boy’. I’m done with it. Her voice is getting higher and higher, and I’m exasperated.
‘Lemon. Pull it together. You like this girl, you gotta tell her. You gotta come out to your mom and tell her to back off.’
‘But how do I convince Carlie there’s nothing between you and I?’
I let out a heavy sigh. Shake my head. ‘Send me her number.’
I hear Lemon trying to calm herself. ‘Thank you,’ she murmurs through her sniffles. We say our goodbyes and I hang up.
It doesn’t get weirder than this, and my guess is I’ll soon be paid another visit by Samantha Conway.
If only I could tell her what her son’s been up to.
‘Hey, honey, how was the gym?’
Mom’s at the sink with the faucet running when the front door slams behind me. Okay, so I’ve had a workout, just not the kind she’s imagining. I toss my car keys onto the side and wander through to the kitchen.
‘Good. Uh. Yeah,’ I say. ‘It was fine. River’s friends go home?’
‘Oh, they stayed for dinner,’ Mom says. ‘What delightful boys. So tragic how Wylder was hit in his car like that. He’s determined to walk again. Such a brave soul.’
‘Did River tell you he invited her to the winter formal?’
‘She did! Honestly, I’m so pleased for her. Now I just need to find you a nice girl. How’s Lemon? Are you taking her out again anytime soon?’
‘Uh,’ I begin, unsure what I should even tell her anymore. ‘Yeah. I will. Where’s Dad?’
‘Watching the game. River’s upstairs.’
‘I’m, uh, gonna get a shower.’
Upstairs, in my ensuite, I stand under the shower and relive the time I spent with Serenity at her house.
I fantasize that she’s here with me, naked with the hot spray running down her skin, between her breasts and over her nipples, and in a second I’m rock hard again, remembering the look on her face as she rode out her orgasm, shortly before I joined her there.
One hand flat against the tiles, I fist my dick, bringing myself to a climax in under a minute, thinking of how good she looked in her bedroom mirror.
After I’ve lathered myself up, my head goes back, and I curse because I hate that I still have to keep our relationship a secret.
In my bedroom, I’m almost dressed and pulling on a shirt when there’s a knock at my door.
‘Come in,’ I say, and River opens the door. I rub the damp towel over my hair.
She looks at me through slanted eyes. ‘Gym, huh? Wouldn’t you have showered there? Before you came back?’
‘Showers were out of order. Problem with the, uh, water pressure, I think.’
She stares at me. Her lips twitch. ‘The water pressure, right.’
‘What?’ I question.
She glances back at my door, which is still open, and lowers her voice. ‘Mom and Dad might be convinced by your I-went-to-the-gym-for-a-workout-with-the-guys act, but you’re not fooling me. Something is up with you.’
I snort. ‘Nothing is up with me. Are you happy that Wylder asked you to the formal?’
‘Don’t change the subject. And for the record, yes, I am. Are you gonna tell me or not?’
‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’
‘Is it a girl?’
‘What girl?’
River takes a step forward. ‘It’s a girl, isn’t it? You’ve fallen for somebody, but for some reason that I cannot fathom, you don’t want to tell anyone about it. Am I right? This has been going on for weeks. You, disappearing all the time.’
This is why I don’t love living with my family.
‘You’re crazy. That’s wacked out.’
‘Oh, is it? When Wylder and Scottie were leaving, I noticed your gym sneakers by the front porch. Did you run on the treadmill barefoot or something?’
‘I took a different pair of sneakers.’
‘Oh yeah, which ones?’
‘They’re at the gym.’
‘Which gym were you at? The one at the training ground? When everybody else in the squad had the night off?’
I don’t answer. Instead, I let out a sigh. ‘Riv, can you just quit it with the questions?’
She gives a shrug like she doesn’t care. ‘Fine. But I got your number, dude.’
She then turns on her heel and goes to leave.
A lot of things go through my mind at once. ‘Riv, wait. Wait.’
She turns around, brows raised. She crosses her arms over her chest. She’s my baby sister and I don’t enjoy lying to her.
‘Close the door,’ I say.
She does as she’s asked, though she still doesn’t look impressed.
I wait until she turns around. ‘It’s a girl, alright. I’m seeing somebody, but right now it’s a big secret and it needs to stay that way.’
River practically jumps on the bed, sits herself down, cross-legged. She’s gone from sceptical to thrilled inside of a minute. ‘Spill,’ she says. ‘And don’t skimp on the details.’
I massage my eyes with the palm of my hand. ‘Her name’s Serenity.’
‘Cute name.’
‘She’s CMC. A Mutineers cheerleader.’
She stares at me for a moment. ‘Oh… shit? Doesn’t that mean—’
‘Yup. They spell it out in her contract. She can’t even talk to me, let alone date me. And that’s not all. She works at a strip club on the west side of Canyon.’
River wrinkles her nose. ‘When you say she works in a strip club… she works… behind the bar?’
We clearly think in the same way. ‘Not exactly,’ I murmur.
River raises her brow. ‘So… she’s a cheerleader and a, a what, a… stripper?’
‘She prefers “private dancer”. But the bosses at the stadium don’t know and you cannot say a word. She’s got her reasons.’
‘Which are?’
‘Riv, whatever I say to you right now stays between these four walls, yes?’
She nods once. ‘Understood.’
‘You cannot tell any of your friends.’
‘Not a problem; I don’t have many.’
I roll my eyes. ‘Not even the ones back in Philly.’
She seals her lips with an invisible zipper.
‘And not even your new boyfriend.’
‘It’s a little soon to be labelling him that, don’tcha think?’
‘Whatever. This stays between you and me. Capiche?’
‘Capiche.’
One hand goes to the back of my neck. ‘Serenity’s got a debt to pay. Her father’s gambling debt. She dances to pay back the debt to the club’s boss. She’s been doing it for the last four and a half years.’
‘Woah, that must be quite a debt.’
‘It’s a lot.’
‘If you like her that much, you should offer to pay it for her.’
‘I already did. She won’t have it. Says she doesn’t need a hero.’
River leans her head to one side and smiles. ‘I like her already.’
I pace up and down, hands going into my hair. ‘She’s like a slave there. Every tip she makes goes to her boss.’
‘I mean, okay, so she doesn’t want a hero, but sounds like she needs somebody like Gramps.’
It takes a moment for her words to sink in. I stare at her. ‘Wait, what?’
‘Like, didn’t he study employment law after he left the NFL?’ River carries on.
Every muscle in my body tenses because River just came up with the solution to this problem. ‘Riv, you’re a genius,’ I breathe.
She gives me a knowing smile. ‘Well, I mean, I’m not royalty like you, but I have my uses.’
I bound over to her and wrap her in a hug. ‘You’re a queen. I hadn’t even thought of Gramps.’
‘Does that mean we can invite him to Texas?’
‘I’m gonna call him first thing tomorrow.’
‘You can let go of me now. I wanna google your girlfriend. What’s her last name?’
I let her go. ‘Harper.’
‘How old is she?’
‘Twenty-two.’
‘You gonna tell Mom and Dad?’
‘Nope.’
‘Sensible. Bein’ a stripper an’ all… she might not pass the Mom test.’
I wince. ‘I’ve never cared less about the fucking Mom test.’
River softens. ‘Do you love her? Is she the one?’
I don’t have to consider my answer for very long before slowly, I nod my head. River crumples, bites her lip. ‘Can I meet her?’
‘One day. I promise you.’
‘What if the Conways find out? Would they fire you for being in a relationship?’
I’ve thought about it. ‘I doubt that. I might get a fine for misconduct. But Serenity?’
I wince, because it’s inequality at its worst. Though she represents the Mutineers brand, she doesn’t win points and can’t get us to the playoffs or Super Bowl. She’s both expendable and replaceable, at virtually no cost to the management.
I imagine some might argue that I am not.
‘They’d fire her in a nanosecond,’ I say.